Since 2020, there has been a steady stream of popular Japanese tea cafes and specialty stores opening in Nagoya city. They offer enticing Japanese teas sourced from tea-producing regions around Nagoya, such as Gifu and Mie, as well as renowned matcha from Nishio, known as one of Japan’s leading matcha-producing areas.
These charming Japanese teas include sencha, sourced from tea plantations near Nagoya, and matcha made from the high-quality tea leaves grown in Nishio. Visitors can enjoy the unique flavors and aromas of these teas in various forms, such as traditional brewed tea or matcha-infused drinks and desserts.
Moreover, Nagoya’s surrounding area is also home to famous ceramic-producing areas, such as Aichi’s Tokoname, Mie’s Yokkaichi known for Banko-yaki, and Gifu’s Mino-yaki. Many tea houses in Nagoya pride themselves on using teapots and utensils crafted by local artisans, creating an authentic and immersive tea-drinking experience.
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1. Nagono Sabo Hanasenka
The Nagono area, designated as a preserved district of Nagoya City, is home to historical buildings that still stand today. It is a captivating area where you can experience the traditional atmosphere of old Nagoya.
In this Nagono area, there is a Japanese tea cafe called Nagono Sabo Hanasenka which opened in 2020, with the concept of “rediscovering the value of Japanese tea and matcha.”
The cafe is housed in a renovated 150-year-old traditional Japanese house, providing a cozy and modern space, complemented by a beautiful tsuboniwa (courtyard garden) at the back of the shop.
Nagono Sabo Hanasenka offers a fascinating lineup of teas that allow you to experience the depth of Japanese tea. Among their recommendations is the tea from Higashi Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture. Higashi Shirakawa Village is located in a mountainous area surrounded by peaks reaching an altitude of 1,000 meters, producing high-quality tea with rich aroma and deep flavors.
In addition to the unique teas from Higashi Shirakawa Village, the cafe also offers an assortment of other teas, such as the fragrant domestically-produced Wakocha (Japanese black tea), along with teas from other regions like Mizusawa tea from Mie, Sayama tea from Saitama, and Kawane tea from Shizuoka.
For the tea preparation, they use teapots and utensils made by artisans from Tokoname, Aichi, which is renowned for producing representative teapots in Japan. The tea brewed in these elegant and refined Tokoname teapots is truly exceptional in taste.
Details
Address: 1-18-6, Nagono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-city, Aichi
Phone: 052-526-8739
Opening hours: 12am-6pm
Open seven days a week
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2. Mirume Shinryoku Sabo
In May 2021, a Japanese tea cafe named Mirume Shinryoku Sabo opened in Nagoya City. It is located in a corner of the Endoji Shopping Street in the Nagono district, at the heart of Nagoya City.
The cafe offers tea from Shinryoku Sabo, a tea farm in Matsuzaka City, Mie Prefecture, which happens to be the hometown of the store manager, Soma Matsumoto.
The interior of the cafe has a modern and open atmosphere, with the first floor serving as a retail space and the second floor as a cafe area.
Their tea menu includes five distinctive types, such as the rich and aromatic Kabusecha typical of Ise-cha and the rare Gyokuro tea, which is uncommon for Ise-cha.
Additionally, they offer traditional Japanese confections like Daifuku(rice cake) and Manju(red bean bun), as well as cheesecake, allowing customers to enjoy delightful pairings with their tea.
Mirume Shinryoku Sabo also provides a takeout service called Asa Bottle (Morning Tea Bottle) targeting office workers in the nearby area.
Customers can visit the cafe in the morning before heading to work, pay 300 yen, and receive a bottle of cold-brewed green tea. After finishing the tea, they can return the empty bottle on their way back home.
The bottle is filled with plenty of tea leaves, so even after finishing it once, customers can add water and shake it to enjoy the tea up to three times.
Details
Address: 1-36-57, Nagono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-city, Aichi
Phone: 052-526-8739
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm
Sat, Sun, Holiday 9am-7pm
Asa bottle Service 8am-10am
Closed on Wednesdays
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3. YATAGARASU
Nagoya City’s Chikusa Ward is home to the Japanese tea cafe YATAGARASU. It opened in 2019, a 7-minute walk from Fukiage Station on the subway. With the theme of “Japanese tea made simple, delicious, and enjoyable,” the cafe offers tea and sweets from Kyoto’s Wazuka region.
They use tea meticulously crafted by the tea farmer Fukuoka Kyuen from Wazuka, which is a primary production area of Uji tea. You can choose from four different varieties of sencha, each with its unique characteristics, such as Yabukita, Samidori, Meiryoku, and Yamakai.
The cafe also recommends drinks and sweets made with high-quality Wazuka-produced matcha. The popular Matcha Latte is an authentic and indulgent experience, as it is prepared with carefully whisked matcha. Matcha sweets include Matcha Terrine and Matcha Pudding. The homemade Matcha Terrine is made without wheat and generously features matcha, allowing you to savor the authentic flavor of matcha to the fullest.
YATAGARASU also functions as a pottery shop, offering tableware from pottery-producing areas around Nagoya, such as Seto and Tajimi. They have a wide selection of daily-use items like plates and mugs, making it a great place to find pottery for everyday living.
Details
Address: 3-39-11 Imaike, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi
Phone: 052-753-8176
Opening hours: 11am-5pm
Closed irregularly
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4. Nodate
Nodate is located about a 5-minute walk from Nagoya City’s subway station, Gojojo Station. It opened its doors in February 2022 as the sister store of the cafe nocake in Nagoya’s Naka Ward.
This establishment offers a menu centered around Japanese tea and spices, operating as a cafe during the day and transforming into a restaurant and bar at night. With the concept of “savoring the every day in a special space,” the interior is elegantly designed with a unified black, white, and gray theme.
The selection of Japanese tea includes sencha, black tea, and pan-fired tea from Higashi Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture. Their style of enjoying tea involves the first steeping with lukewarm water, the second with hotter water, and for the third steeping, the tea is paired with spices for a unique experience. Using refined and well-designed Tokoname ware teapots, customers can thoroughly enjoy their tea.
They want guests to experience the aroma of tea just like whiskey or wine. Therefore, they serve cold-brewed tea in whiskey bottles and serve it in rocks glasses or wine glasses.
Among the cafe menu recommendations, their cheesecake is highly regarded. They offer six distinct cheesecake flavors, including the luxurious Gorgonzola Cheesecake and the Foie Gras Cassis Cheesecake. Pairing these unique cheesecakes with Japanese tea is an experience not to be missed.
Details
Address: 1F Housen Building, 3-3-1 Daicho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi
Phone: 052-846-7735
Opening hours: 11:30am-12pm
Closed on Sundays
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5. Saijo-en Matcha Cafe Global Gate Store
Saijo-en Matcha Cafe is operated by Aiya, a well-established matcha company located in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. They have four branches within Nagoya City. One of these branches, the Saijo-en Matcha Cafe Global Gate Store, is located in the Global Gate complex, approximately a 10-minute walk from Nagoya Station.
The cafe offers various matcha sweets and matcha drinks made with Nishio’s matcha, creating a harmonious blend of traditional and modern Japanese aesthetics within its ambiance.
Details
Address: 4-60-12, Hiraike-cho, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi
Phone: 070-3122-1640
Opening hours: 11am-8pm
Open seven days a week
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6. MYOKOEN TEA STORE
MYOKOEN TEA STORE is a tea stand operated by the long-established Japanese tea specialty shop Myoko-en, which was founded in 1916 in Nagoya. The tea stand opened in 2020 inside the Sakae Chika shopping complex in Naka Ward, Nagoya. With the keyword “Blending Japanese culture with the present,” this tea stand focuses on providing takeout options.
It offers a variety of teas that can be easily enjoyed, including hojicha latte and matcha latte, both made with Myoko-en’s signature hojicha and matcha, respectively. Additionally, they offer creatively crafted seasonal tea blends, allowing customers to experience the changing flavors as the seasons progress.
Details
Address: 3-4-6 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Phone: 052-951-2280
Opening hours: 11am-8pm
Open seven days a week
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